A typical latching system for a door assembly of a vehicle includes a handle, a latch, and a release rod. The handle and the latch may be operatively attached to the door in spaced relationship and the release rod may extend to interconnect the handle to the latch. When the handle is operated, the handle pushes directly onto the release rod. The release rod may, in turn, push directly onto the latch to unlatch the door from the body of the vehicle. Likewise, when the handle is released the handle pulls backward on the release rod such that the latch is no longer being pushed upon by the release rod. Therefore, the handle is interconnected with the latch even when the handle is not being operated.